10 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Bachelor’
If you’re anything like me, you may have shamefully developed a slight obsession with ABC’s The Bachelor. Known for its drama-filled take on a reality dating series, the show’s most recent season finale in March drew in an astounding 8.5 million viewers. Whether you’re a long-time member of #BachelorNation or a new viewer, here are 10 things you may not have known about the show.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share1. No one actually eats on a dinner date. Unlike a date that’s not televised (which is what most of us common folk are used to), participants don’t actually get to eat the beautifully-presented meal in front of them on their one-to-one dates. Because eating on camera isn’t flattering and no one wants to hear the sound of chewing into a mic, the bachelor or bachelorette and their date are given dinner at a hotel beforehand. This is also where they are able to change outfits and freshen up in between the afternoon and evening portions of the date.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share2. The girls have to bring all of their own clothes for the show. Nope, the fabulous outfits and gowns you see on the screen aren’t provided by producers. According to former bachelorette Jillian Harris’ blog, with the exception of a few goodie bags provided at the beginning of the show the girls are expected to bring all their own clothing. Imagine the pressure! Though some girls dropped $40,000 on clothing for the show (gasp), Jillian opted to spend a more conservative $8,000. All she had to do was re-mortgage her house.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share3. STDs are the biggest reason why potential contestants aren’t cast. According to New York Time’s best seller Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman, many hopeful contestants don’t make it through casting because of the results of their STD test. Which one is the top offender? Herpes.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share4. Staying in shape on the set is hard. Even though contestants are expected to show off their perfect physiques for the show, gym time is hard to come by. According an interview with Molly Mesnick from season thirteen of The Bachelor, the lavish mansion that we see on the show doesn’t have a gym. Because of this, contestants are forced to get creative with their workouts and do exercises like pilates, crunches, and even running up the hill in the backyard. When the remaining contestants at the end of the season start traveling and staying in hotels, they’re given only 30 minutes of gym time each. Seems kind of harsh.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share5. The contestants have to cook for themselves. Aside from not having an on-set gym or glamorous wardrobe provided by production, contestants aren’t given a chef in the mansion either. Although the house is always stocked with food to ensure no one goes hungry, contestants are left to their own devices when it comes to preparing meals. According to former contestant Ashley Spivey, meals would be prepared by anyone who was willing to cook for the rest of the house. Though occasionally the production crew orders in food like In-N-Out for the for contestants, most of the time it’s up to them to feed themselves.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share6. Flash cards are used for the initial introductions. Ever wonder how the new bachelor/bachelorette is able to remember the names of all of their new love prospects on the first night? The answer is that they get a lot of help. In her liveblog for E!, former bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky spilled that throughout the night a producer is never far from the star’s side, equipped with flash cards that have the names and photos of every contestant. Even with the cards, Ali claimed it was still tough to memorize the names of those twenty-five strangers.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share7. Hometown dates aren’t always at the contestant’s actual home. Known as being one of the more exciting episodes, hometown dates are a pretty big deal for the final four contestants. However, even though producers have viewers under the impression that contestants take the bachelor/bachelorette to their family’s home, this is not always the case. According to HuffPost, some contestants have their hometown date in a wealthier relative’s home or sometimes even an Airbnb. Turns out not every participant grew up in a home resembling a small palace! In some cases the production crew also helps set up the meal so that the family doesn’t have to cook either.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share8. Some contestants quit their jobs to be on the show. When contestants say they’ve “given up everything to be here” they’re not lying. On the first night in the mansion its common to hear contestants say that they quit their job in order to appear on the show. One example is Olivia Caridi from season 20 of The Bachelor, who gave up her job as a news anchor in hopes of finding love with Ben Higgins. Contestants don’t get paid to be on the show either, which means some really are willing to risk it all for a chance at love.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share9. Contestants may not get paid, but bachelor(ette)s do. While the contestants make zilch while filming, the star usually makes around $100,000 for their season. That’s right. Most bachelor and bachelorettes make a comfortable six-figures for having their journey to find love televised for the world to see. According to Insider, however, bachelorette Emily Maynard was rumored to have been paid $250,000 for her season, making her the highest paid bachelorette in the show’s history. Not too shabby!
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Bachelor
Share10. “Fantasy Suite” dates don’t happen back to back. Because the overnight fantasy suite dates with the final two contestants appear in the same episode, it seems as though the dates happen within a short period of time. However, in her book It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak Into Happily Never After, former bachelorette Andi Dorfman reveals how fantasy suite dates actually take place over multiple weeks in order to give the star some time to themselves. This means that the bachelor or bachelorette has a chance to decompress and think about their relationships before diving right in to another fantasy suite date.
Written by Brianna Pisacane
22 Surprising Facts About The Office
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareAnd, finally, everyone choked up singing "Seasons of Love" in honor of Michael. "It was so emotional!" Paul Feig said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, who directed the finale. "I was prepping [for the next episode] and my assistant said, 'You should come down here.' The first time they started singing that song, everyone choked up in real life. It really started to land for people that the end is coming."
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareThe computers in the office actually had Internet. They did this for every computer on set so that there was a sense of realism while filming.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
SharePhyllis Smith was a NFL cheerleader and a burlesque dancer. "It was just the perfect job for me at the time," she told Yahoo of working with the St. Louis Cardinal cheerleaders. "I really enjoyed it because I loved football, so I was able to watch the game, dance, and be there and look at the cute guys across the field. So it was the triple threat there." She then transitioned into burlesque, though "there was no stripping. We had strategically placed feathers and G-strings with feathers covering our rumps."
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareSteve Carell called in sick during the writers' strike with a case of "enlarged balls." Without him on set, production was put immediately on hold.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJim and Pam's first kiss was John Krasinski's first on-screen kiss.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareThe temperature on set had to be kept at a cold 64 degrees Fahrenheit. This was because, according to Rainn Wilson who played Dwight, Steve Carell had active sweat glands that could ruin a shot.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareAngela Kinsey was a phone operator for 1-800-Dentist when she auditioned for the show.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareDwight's cousin Mose is played by writer Michael Schur. "Playing Mose Schrute was a waking nightmare," Schur told Entertainment Weekly of the silent but bizarre character. "My boss, Greg Daniels, forced me to do it as a way to cause me pain. And it was terrible. The first time I did it, I had to grow a real neckbeard. Every time after that, he ‘let' me use a fake beard, which is maybe worse because those beards are terrible."
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJenna Fischer kept Pam's engagement ring. "While true that I kept the engagement ring Jim gave to Pam, it was a silver prop ring, not worth $5,000," she explained on Twitter, "and I do not wear it in real life."
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareMichael's girlfriend Carol was played by Carell's real-life wife. Nancy Carell, who is an actress in her own right, was cast as Carol, Michael's realtor girlfriend. It's even better rewatching their scenes together (especially in "Casino Night") knowing this bit of information.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
SharePhyllis Smith was an assistant casting director for "The Office," but the producers were drawn to her. Her line readings were so strong opposite actors she was auditioning that the producers asked her to act instead. Thus, sales rep Phyllis Lapin-Vance was born.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJohn Krasinski almost sabotaged his own audition. A man in the waiting room asked him if he was nervous, and Krasinski boldly responded: "I love the British show so much and Americans have a tendency to just really screw these opportunities up. I don't know how I'll live with myself if they ruin it for me." Unfortunately for him, he was running his mouth to the executive producer.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareSteve Carell improvised the kiss between Michael and Oscar. In "Gay Witch Hunt," Michael kisses Oscar as a show of support for his homosexuality. But as Nunez reached out for a hug, Carell blindsided him with a kiss— making Nunez's uncomfortable reaction — and the shock of the rest of the cast totally real.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareAdam Scott auditioned for the role of Jim.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareSeth Rogen auditioned for the role of Dwight. seth rogen the office
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareMindy Kaling used to make up lies about their co-workers to mess with B.J. Novak. One time, according to New York Daily News, she even convinced him that showrunner Greg Daniels used to date one of the show's actresses, making Novak afraid to give criticisms during edits.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJohn Krasinski shot some of the footage for the opening credits.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareMelora Hardin was the inspiration for Jan's boob job. "I turned to [executive producer Greg Daniels] and said, 'It's funny, I'm looking around at the females in our cast, and I'm thinking nobody in our cast has a boob job.' Now, I'm not sure that I'm totally right about that, by the way, but that's what I thought. His wheels just started turning in that moment," Hardin told Rolling Stone. "It was just so funny to see. That was when he thought, 'Ding-ding-ding-ding! Jan's getting a boob job!'"
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
Share"The Dinner Party" is the only script that was never rewritten. "Most scripts get rewritten, and I think this was the only one ever done that didn't," co-writer Gene Stupnitsky told the Rolling Stone. "The only thing that was changed was that in our first draft Jan hits the neighbor's dog and kills it on purpose."
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJohn Krasinski wore a wig in season three. It turns out Krasinski was shooting the movie "Leatherheads" at the same time, and he had to shave his head in order to play a 1920s football player
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareRainn Wilson auditioned for the role of Michael Scott.
22 Things You Didn’t Know About The Office
ShareJim and Pam's proposal scene was the most expensive shot on the show. It was a $250,000 shot. The team built a replica rest stop in the back of an empty parking lot behind a Best Buy.
